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Ikoma Ujiaki
Ikoma Ujiaki was the foremost diplomat of the Lion Clan during the Clan War, though he was trained as a bushi as well. Family His father was the last son of a long line in the Ikoma family, and the largest of the three most prominent families within the Ikoma. His great-great grandfather was married to a Hantei daughter and Ujiaki's family remembered it with pride, even though their tie to the Emperor was so weak. Way of the Lion, p. 69 He was half-brother of the Matsu Daimyo and later Lion Clan Champion Matsu Tsuko. Way of the Willow, by Ree Soesbee Ujikai bore a son, Ikoma Ken'o. Secrets of the Lion, p. 39 Demeanor Ujiaki was a loyal servant of the Emperor, with often arrogant behavior. He was particularly proud of the Lion's status as the Right Hand of the Emperor. He was until death a man of honor. The Legion of the Dead: Defender of the Hantei Ujiaki was relentless and overbearing and not at all a pleasant person with whom to associate. Clan War: Lion Army Expansion, p. 33 Training Ujiaki was a fierce and spirited Ikoma Omoidasu. He was eager to carve his own tale into history and fought at the vanguard of the Lion armies. A Lion Diplomat Severe Wounding Ujiaki fought against the Phoenix Clan as a banner bearer, serving the cause of the Emperor when the Isawa family would not. After receiving a near fatal wound, he was transferred to the diplomatic corps, and performed his diplomatic tasks with a ferocity that rivals the Lion battle-fury. Political Ambitions As the controller of the Lion's political strength, Ujiaki used his contacts and allies to make the best of any situation, and handsomely rewarded those that served him. Ujiaki's sharp mind and physical strength gave him an advantage in the courts - he had been in battles, and knew the advantages. When the Crane came to have the Lion armies withdrawn, Ujiaki instead would move them to a stronger position. Ujiaki was not a pleasant person, as he took defeat as a personal insult. What he could not gain through politicking, he gained instead through threats and brute force, and he hated the Crane Clan fiercely. A clever man, but not a brilliant one, Ujiaki used threats and violence to force people to acknowledge him as one of the foremost minds in Rokugan. Tsume lands Ujiaki made a visit to the Kyotei Castle of the Tsume family to claim back the lands of the defunct Damasu family. The aggresive and ruthless Tsume Daimyo Tsume Retsu was found assassinated in his chambers, and Ujiaki was one of the suspects. Honor's Veil, p. 7 Ujiaki before his visit had asked for a Blood Feud against Retsu, but the Crane diplomats had countered his petition to the Emperor. Honor's Veil, p. 11 Outmanouvered at Court When Bayushi Kachiko was declared the Emperor's Advisor, the Ikoma lose their tempers in public. This loss of face resulted in the swift seppuku of the offending Ikoma ambassador, and the removal of all Lion diplomats from the Emperor's presence for no less than an entire season. This tremendous setback was fiercely contested by the Ikoma, led by Ujiaki, but to no avail. The Imperial courtiers, led by Kachiko and Kakita Yoshi kept the Lion at bay. Way of the Lion, pp. 39-40 Otosan Uchi Prior to the Scorpion Coup Ujiaki was appointed as the Lion Chief Diplomat, and he was housed in the Lion Guest Home in the Forbidden City. He guessed the current Lion-Crane War had been activated by a third party, but the appearance at the court of Kakita Yoshi distracted him from pinning down the culprits' identities. Otosan Uchi:Book 2, p. 81 Sensei After the Scorpion Coup it was formed the Ikoma Tactician school under the command of Ikoma Ujiaki. Four Winds, p. 160 Ikoma Daimyo In 1125 Ujiaki was already the Ikoma Daimyo. When the Unicorn Clan Champion detained ambassadors of the Great Clans at Shiro Shinjo as a mean of pressure to hold winter court in Unicorn lands, the Lion took as captives any diplomat in Lion lands. Winter Court: Kyuden Kakita, pp. 56-57 Clan Wars With the start of the Clan War, his ability in battle had allowed him to return to the Lion army as a commander. Once leader of the Emperor's personal legions, Ujiaki was appointed as leader of the Matsu House Guard. Clan War - Lion Army Expansion Corruption of the Lion Ujiaki did not believe any sign of corruption in the Lion Clan. After the Fall of Kyuden Doji the Emerald Champion Kakita Toshimoko informed him about Shadowlands Madmen supporting the Lion armies. Ujiaki dismissed the information, and Akodo Kage told him that Toshimoko's words were not truth. Clan Letter to the Lion #3 (Imperial Herald v1 #3) Blaming the Crab Ujiaki saw too much shadowlands activity in the Empire, and blamed the Crab Clan, who did not protect Rokugan as expected. He also was aware about Hida Kisada's activities in Mantis islands, where Kaiu Suman had been dispatched. Defense of Otosan Uchi The Lion faced Hida Kisada at Otosan Uchi in the Month of the Ox of 1127, when Kisada disembarked his forces in the shores of the Golden Sun Bay. Time of the Void, p. 54 Imperial command demanded that Tsuko not lead her troops; she decided to pass on Ujiaki, and as a result, the demoralised Lion army refused to accept the still lowly-ranked Kitsu Motso as its commander. Glory and Honor In the Month of the Hare of 1128 Kisada and his shadowlands allies breached the walls of Otosan Uchi. Kisada was grievously wounded by Hantei XXXIX in personal combat and vanished with his son Hida Yakamo. Time of the Void, p. 55 The Crab Clan's hasty withdrawal from the Imperial City gave the Lion a respite to reorganise, but another command from the throne would fracture the Clan completely. Lion Divided Tsuko had been missing since the Crab attack to the Imperial City. Many Lion samurai had fled Otosan Uchi telling that Hida Kisada had been slain, while others told it was a dying city ruled by a corrupted Emperor and his undead legions. The Crab Clan's hasty withdrawal from the Imperial City gave the Lion a respite to reorganise, but another command from the throne would fracture the Clan completely. As the rift between Matsu and Ikoma grew wider, Ujiaki stepped forward to reassure the Lion Clan that all was well. He dispatched delegated to scour the Empire for Matsu Tsuko. After Tsuko's seppuku, Kitsu Motso rallied much of the leaderless Lion before the ruins of Shiro Akodo, to heal the breach within the Lion. His action made it wider, instead, as Ikoma Tsanuri and Ujiaki clearly sided with the Hantei, declaring Motso a traitor. Time of the Void, pp. 73-74 The Second Day of Thunder Ujiaki was the commander of the Imperial Legions while the Lion Clan was in shambles on the Second Day of Thunder. Imperial Histories, p. 162 The Akodo family had been disbanded, dealing a crushing blow to the Clan's strength. To make matters worse, Lion Clan Champion Matsu Tsuko had seen the darkness growing within Emperor Hantei XXXIX and could not bring herself to defend the Emperor. Days before the battle, she committed seppuku, leaving the Lion leaderless and divided between those who remained loyal to the Emperor, no matter the cost, and those loyal to the Empire, even at the cost of the Emperor. Legend of the Five Rings History: Time of the Void Death Ujiaki was among the former. Clan Letter to the Lion #4 (Imperial Herald v1 #4) A group of samurai gave him a letter from Kitsu Motso, the general who Ujiaki had been seeking before the combat against the treacherous united clans began. Ujiaki destroyed the letter blaming Motso, a "lying, cowardly man who speaks with less honor than a Scorpion." Time of the Void, p. 84 The Ikoma Daimyo commanded his forces to attack in the Dark God's name, striking down any who dared disobey him. On the Second Day of Thunder, he led the armies of Lion loyalists, marching among the Tainted armies of Fu Leng, as the leaders of the Empire and the Shadowlands had become one and the same. Ujiaki turned his forces against Hida Kisada's berserker legions, and gave his life in glorious combat. After Death The Fortune of Heroes, Goemon, assembled him in the Legion of the Dead to fight the Legion of Blood in the Realm of Thwarted Destiny. A Thousand Years of Darkness In the dark dream world where the Seven Thunders failed to succeed in defeating Fu Leng on the Second Day of Thunder, Ujiaki's fate became very, very different. After defeating the Thunders, Fu Leng emerged and gave the massed armies exactly one opportunity to swear fealty to him or be destroyed. Ikoma Tsanuri refused to bow to the Ninth Kami, and Ujiaki cut her down and lead the Lions to take an oath of fealty to the corrupted Emperor. He was rewarded with the positions of daimyo of the Lion Clan and general of the legions of Jigoku, and became the Right Hand of the Emperor in all senses of it. Under his command, the Horde slaughtered the Thunder's armies. There Is No Hope, by Rich Wulf Fallen Lord of the Lion Either as a result of his constant proximity to the Dark Kami, or a requirement of his high office, Ujiaki became Tainted. He had become barely recognizable to those who knew him before the Second Day of Thunder - he had not aged, his eyes now glowed with unholy power, and he no longer had the aura of the just and honorable man he used to be. The sight of him so horrified his vassal Matsu Masutaro that the latter decided to take up the oath of a Deathseeker rather than continue serving under him. The Deathseeker, by Shawn Carman Ujiaki also sought to enforce total obedience to the Emperor's rule, and itched to raze the Hub Villages for their resentment of the Dark Kami. The Promise, by Rich Wulf Honorable? Despite all this, Ujiaki still viewed himself as an honorable man. When Fu Leng gave him the order to attack the last bastion of Toturi's resistance against his rule, The City of Lightning in the Mantis lands, Ujiaki planted a message saying so on a patrol he knew Daidoji Uji and his saboteurs would intercept and pass on to Toturi, the only way that he would be able to face a worthy opponent in battle. Become a Demon, by Rich Wulf The armies of Jigoku commanded by Ujiaki massacred Toturi's Army, resulting in the death of Toturi, Isawa Kaede, Yoritomo, and Hoturi the Heartless. A Good Death, by Rich Wulf See also * Ikoma Ujiaki/Meta * Ikoma Ujiaki/CW Meta External Links * Ikoma Ujiaki (Imperial) * Ikoma Ujiaki Exp (Forbidden Knowledge) * Ikoma Ujiaki Exp2 (1000 Years of Darkness) Category: Lion Clan Leaders